Cucumber hybrid ps 14784719 and parents thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a cucumber plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another cucumber plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 and theinbred cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a cucumber plant of thehybrid designated PS 14784719, the cucumber line ASL 35-1043 GY orcucumber line ASL M3092031 MO. Also provided are cucumber plants havingall the physiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant.Parts of these cucumber plants are also provided, for example, includingpollen, an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of cucumber hybrid PS14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MOcomprising an added heritable trait is provided. The heritable trait maycomprise a genetic locus that is, for example, a dominant or recessiveallele. In one embodiment of the invention, a plant of cucumber hybridPS 14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO isdefined as comprising a single locus conversion. In specific embodimentsof the invention, an added genetic locus confers one or more traits suchas, for example, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, diseaseresistance, and modified carbohydrate metabolism. In furtherembodiments, the trait may be conferred by a naturally occurring geneintroduced into the genome of a line by backcrossing, a natural orinduced mutation, or a transgene introduced through genetictransformation techniques into the plant or a progenitor of any previousgeneration thereof. When introduced through transformation, a geneticlocus may comprise one or more genes integrated at a single chromosomallocation.

The invention also concerns the seed of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO. The cucumberseed of the invention may be provided, in particular embodiments, as anessentially homogeneous population of cucumber seed of cucumber hybridPS 14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO.Essentially homogeneous populations of seed are generally free fromsubstantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, seed of hybrid PS 14784719and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO may beprovided, in certain embodiments of the invention, as forming at leastabout 97% of the total seed, including at least about 98%, 99% or moreof the seed. The seed population may be separately grown to provide anessentially homogeneous population of cucumber plants designated PS14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a cucumber plant of hybrid PS 14784719 and/or cucumber linesASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating cucumber plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid PS14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MOinclude those traits set forth in the tables herein. The regenerablecells in such tissue cultures may be derived, for example, from embryos,meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips,pistils, flowers, seed and stalks. Still further, the present inventionprovides cucumber plants regenerated from a tissue culture of theinvention, the plants having all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of hybrid PS 14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043GY and ASL M3092031 MO.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing cucumber seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent cucumber plant with a second parentcucumber plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parentcucumber plants is a plant of cucumber line ASL 35-1043 GY or cucumberline ASL M3092031 MO. These processes may be further exemplified asprocesses for preparing hybrid cucumber seed or plants, wherein a firstcucumber plant is crossed with a second cucumber plant of a different,distinct genotype to provide a hybrid that has, as one of its parents, aplant of cucumber line ASL 35-1043 GY or cucumber line ASL M3092031 MO.In these processes, crossing will result in the production of seed. Theseed production occurs regardless of whether the seed is collected ornot.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent cucumber plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent cucumber plants into plants that bear flowers. A thirdstep may comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent cucumber plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent cucumber plants.The harvested seed can be grown to produce a cucumber plant or hybridcucumber plant.

The present invention also provides the cucumber seeds and plantsproduced by a process that comprises crossing a first parent cucumberplant with a second parent cucumber plant, wherein at least one of thefirst or second parent cucumber plants is a plant of cucumber hybrid PS14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO. Inone embodiment of the invention, cucumber seed and plants produced bythe process are first generation (F₁) hybrid cucumber seed and plantsproduced by crossing a plant in accordance with the invention withanother, distinct plant. The present invention further contemplatesplant parts of such an F₁ hybrid cucumber plant, and methods of usethereof. Therefore, certain exemplary embodiments of the inventionprovide an F₁ hybrid cucumber plant and seed thereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid PS 14784719 and/or cucumber linesASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO, the method comprising the steps of:(a) preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid PS 14784719 and/orcucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO, wherein saidpreparing comprises crossing a plant of the hybrid PS 14784719 and/orcucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO with a second plant;and (b) crossing the progeny plant with itself or a second plant toproduce a seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generation. In furtherembodiments, the method may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progenyplant of a subsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of asubsequent generation and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration with itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for anadditional 3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid PS14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO. Theplant derived from hybrid PS 14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043GY and ASL M3092031 MO may be an inbred line, and the aforementionedrepeated crossing steps may be defined as comprising sufficientinbreeding to produce the inbred line. In the method, it may bedesirable to select particular plants resulting from step (c) forcontinued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). By selecting plantshaving one or more desirable traits, a plant derived from hybrid PS14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO isobtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of the line/hybridas well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of cucumberhybrid PS 14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031MO, wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b)collecting at least one cucumber from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement ofcucumber hybrid PS 14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASLM3092031 MO is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used torefer to the aggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of whichsequences defines the phenotype of, in the present case, a cucumberplant, or a cell or tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thusrepresents the genetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybridgenetic complement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell,tissue or plant. The invention thus provides cucumber plant cells thathave a genetic complement in accordance with the cucumber plant cellsdisclosed herein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid PS 14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO could be identified by any of the manywell known techniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence LengthPolymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly AmplifiedPolymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF),Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary PrimedPolymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment LengthPolymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporated herein byreference in its entirety), and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs)(Wang et al., 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by cucumber plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a cucumber plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second cucumber plant, preferably, another, distinctcucumber plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides acucumber plant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybridgenetic complement of this invention.

In still yet another aspect, the invention provides a method ofdetermining the genotype of a plant of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO comprisingdetecting in the genome of the plant at least a first polymorphism. Themethod may, in certain embodiments, comprise detecting a plurality ofpolymorphisms in the genome of the plant. The method may furthercomprise storing the results of the step of detecting the plurality ofpolymorphisms on a computer readable medium. The invention furtherprovides a computer readable medium produced by such a method.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719, cucumber line ASL35-1043 GY and cucumber line ASL M3092031 MO. The hybrid PS 14784719 wasproduced by the cross of parent lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031MO. The parent lines show uniformity and stability within the limits ofenvironmental influence. By crossing the parent lines, uniform seedhybrid PS 14784719 can be obtained.

The development of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 and its parent lines canbe summarized as follows.

A. ORIGIN AND BREEDING HISTORY OF CUCUMBER HYBRID PS 14784719

The hybrid PS 14784719 was produced from a cross of the lines designatedASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO, most frequently with ASL M3092031 MOas the male parent. The parent lines are uniform and stable, as is ahybrid therefrom. A small percentage of variants can occur withincommercially acceptable limits for almost any characteristic during thecourse of repeated multiplication. However no variants are expected.

ASL-35-1043-Gy is a parent line that has previously been used incommercial hybrids such as Rockingham. ASL M3092031 MO was developedfrom an initial cross between PI 197088 Mo (98 GH2757) and ASL-2121-Mo(98 GH2711) during 1998. PI-197088 Mo is a Plant Introduction sourcewith high levels of resistance to Downy mildew but has poor fruitquality, fruit shape, black spines and is susceptible to several viral,bacterial and fungal diseases (see U.S. Patent Appln. Pub. No2009/0265803). ASL-2121-Mo is a Monoecious Indeterminate American Slicerinbred line with good fruit quality, dark green fruit color, few spines,blocky and cylindrical shape and has resistance to Anthracnose, AngularLeaf Spot, Powdery Mildew, Scab and Cucumber Mosaic Virus. Seeds fromthe initial cross F1 were planted in Fall, 1998 in Woodland, Calif. andselfed to generate F2 seeds 98 GH3075-3. F2 seeds were planted in GH in1998 in plot 3992 and selection was made based on DM resistance, planthabit, fruit shape and fruit color (98 GH3992-3). Seeds from theselection were indexed for DM in a field nursery in 1999 and 2002. Seedsfrom selection 98 GH3991-2 were planted in the field in Felda, Fla. in2004 during the spring season and selections were made based on yield,plant habit, and fruit quality (F04S-50551E). Seeds from F04S-50551Ewere planted in the Fall field pollination block and selections weremade for disease resistance, plant habit, and fruit quality(F04F-54415A). The seeds from plot 54415A was designated as M3092031Mo.

B. PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CUCUMBER HYBRID PS14784719, CUCUMBER LINE ASL 35-1043 GY AND CUCUMBER LINE ASL M3092031 MO

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 and the parent linesthereof. A description of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of such plants is presented in Tables 1-2.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Hybrid PS14784719 Characteristic PS 14784719 Dasher II 1. Type predominant usageslicing/fresh market slicing/fresh market predominant culture outdooroutdoor area of best adaptation in the USA most areas most areas 2.Maturity days from seeding to market 61 67 maturity 3. Plant habit vinevine cotyledon: bitterness present (Farbio) present growth typeindeterminate indeterminate (Corona, Levina) time of development offemale early (Avir) early flowers (80% of plants with at least onefemale flower) sex primarily gynoecious monoecious (plant species withalmost all female flowers on the same plant) sex expression gynoeciousgynoecious when all the nodes have only female flowers. Under certainconditions [darkness, cold, chemical treatment], a few male flowers willdevelop. (Farbio, Sandra, Wilma number of female flowers per node mostly2 or 3 mostly 1 or 2 (Tempo) flower color yellow yellow flower color(RHS color chart 17C 13A value) 4. Main Stem main stem length 89.5 cm118 cm number of nodes from cotyledon 1.7 1.6 leaves to node bearing thefirst pistillate flower internode length 5.9 cm 6.3 cm stem formgrooved, ridged grooved, ridged plant: total length of first 15 mediummedium internodes (Marketmore) 5. Leaf mature blade of third leaf: leaf114.1 mm 132.3 mm length mature blade of third leaf: leaf 147 mm 160 mmwidth mature blade of third leaf: petiole 13.3 cm 13 cm length lengthmedium (Briljant) medium ratio length of terminal lobe/length medium(Corona) medium of blade shape of apex of terminal lobe obtuse (Melody)acute intensity of green color dark (Marketmore, medium Sandra, TokyoSlicer) blistering medium (Monir) absent or very weak undulation ofmargin moderate absent or weak dentation of margin weak (Hana, Silor)weak ovary: color of vestiture white (Jazzer) white 7. Fruit Setparthenocarpy absent (Toska 70) absent length medium (Gemini, mediumJazzer) 6. Fruit at edible maturity: fruit length 17.5 cm 17.9 cmdiameter small (Picobello, large Wilma) at edible maturity: fruitdiameter at 3.5 cm 5 cm medial ratio length/diameter large (Corona)large core diameter in relation to small (Riesenchäl, medium diameter offruit Telepathy) shape in transverse section angular (Anico, Gele roundto angular Tros, Regal) shape of stem end obtuse (Maram, obtuse Score)shape of calyx end obtuse (Reno) obtuse at edible maturity: fruit gram144.1 gm 282 gm weight skin color/mottling mottled or speckled mottledor speckled with yellow with yellow at edible maturity: yellowishextended less than extended less than blossom end stripes 1/3 of thefruit length ⅓ of the fruit length at edible maturity: predominant darkgreen dark green color at stem end at edible maturity: Predominant 139A135A color at stem end (RHS Color Chart value) at edible maturity:predominant medium green medium green color at blossom end at ediblematurity: predominant 137B 138A color at blossom end (RHS Color Chartvalue) at edible maturity: fruit neck shape not necked not necked atedible maturity: fruit tapering ends blunt or rounded blossom endtapered at edible maturity: stem end cross circular circular section atedible maturity: medial cross triangular circular section at ediblematurity: blossom end square triangular cross section ground color ofskin at market stage green (Corona) white at edible maturity: skinthickness thin thin at edible maturity: skin ribs weak (Darius, Diana)absent sutures present (Nabil, Silor) absent creasing present (Corona,absent Nabil) at edible maturity: skin toughness tender tender at ediblematurity: skin luster glossy dull at edible maturity: spine color whitewhite at edible maturity: spine quality coarse fine at edible maturity:spine density few few type of vestiture hairs and prickles hairs andprickles (De Bourbonne, De Massy) density of vestiture sparse mediumdensity of vestiture (only varieties light brown (Akito) light brownwith white ovary vestiture) warts present (Chinese present Slangen,Dumex, Regal) at edible maturity: tubercles (warts) few, prominent few,prominent (Salad) size of warts very small (Parmel) small at ediblematurity: flavor bitterfree bitterfree length of stripes long (Pioneer,Tokyo medium Slicer) dots present (Delicatesse, presentHanpaku-Fushinari, Sagami-Fanpaku, White Sun) distribution of dotsevenly distributed evenly distributed (Sagami-Fanpaku) length of fruitcontaining dots whole length whole length density of dots sparse(Raider) medium glaucosity weak (Crispina, Joen- absent or very weakbakdadaki) length of peduncle medium (Fendan) long ground color of skinat yellow yellow physiological ripeness 7. Fruit seed at harvestmaturity measurements fruit seed length .7 cm .8 cm measurements fruitseed diameter at .3 cm .3 cm medial color cream cream color RHS ColorChart value 158A 158A color pattern not striped not striped surfacesmooth smooth netting slight or none slight or none 8. Seeds number ofseeds per fruit 44.2 32.6 grams per 1,000 seeds 40 gm 30 gm *These aretypical values. Values may vary due to environment. Other values thatare substantially equivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2 ASL 147-M3092031 Characteristic MO Conquistador 1. Typepredominant usage slicing/fresh market slicing/fresh market predominantculture outdoor outdoor area of best adaptation in the USA most areasmost areas 2. Maturity days from seeding to market 64 65 maturity 3.Plant habit vine vine cotyledon: bitterness present (Farbio) presentgrowth type indeterminate indeterminate (Corona, Levina) time ofdevelopment of female early (Avir) medium flowers (80% of plants with atleast one female flower) sex monoecious (plant monoecious species inwhich male and female organs are found on the same plant but indifferent flowers - for example maize) sex expression monoeciousmonoecious when all the nodes on the plant have both male and femaleflowers, with more male than female flowers on each node. (Hokus) numberof female flowers per node mostly 1 or 2 mostly 1 (Brunex, Maruba)flower color yellow yellow flower color (RHS color chart 13A 14A value)4. Main Stem main stem length 105 cm 111 cm number of nodes fromcotyledon 1.6 1.9 leaves to node bearing the first pistillate flowerinternode length 6.2 cm 8.1 cm stem form grooved, ridged grooved, ridgedplant: total length of first 15 medium medium internodes (Marketmore) 5.Leaf mature blade of third leaf: leaf 120 mm 137 mm length mature bladeof third leaf: leaf 171 mm 175 mm width mature blade of third leaf:petiole 10.4 cm 15.8 cm length length long (Corona) medium ratio lengthof terminal lobe/length medium (Corona) large of blade shape of apex ofterminal lobe acute (Delikatess) acute intensity of green color dark(Marketmore, dark Sandra, Tokyo Slicer) blistering weak (Pepinex 69,strong Rocket GS) undulation of margin moderate moderate dentation ofmargin medium (Susan) medium ovary: color of vestiture white (Jazzer)white 7. Fruit Set parthenocarpy absent (Toska 70) absent length medium(Gemini, long Jazzer) 6. Fruit at edible maturity: fruit length 14.5 cm19.3 cm diameter small (Picobello, medium Wilma) at edible maturity:fruit diameter at 3.8 cm 4.4 cm medial ratio length/diameter medium(Jazzer, large Picobello, Wilma) core diameter in relation to small(Riesenchäl, medium diameter of fruit Telepathy) shape in transversesection round to angular round (Dasher) shape of stem end obtuse (Maram,obtuse Score) shape of calyx end acute (Dardos) rounded at ediblematurity: fruit gram 161.8 gm 300 gm weight skin color/mottling notmottled not mottled at edible maturity: yellowish absent extended lessthan blossom end stripes ⅓ of the fruit length at edible maturity:predominant dark green dark green color at stem end at edible maturity:Predominant 139A 136A color at stem end (RHS Color Chart value) atedible maturity: predominant dark green medium green color at blossomend at edible maturity: predominant N134A 144A color at blossom end (RHSColor Chart value) at edible maturity: fruit neck shape not necked notnecked at edible maturity: fruit tapering ends blunt or rounded blossomend tapered at edible maturity: stem end cross triangular circularsection at edible maturity: medial cross triangular circular section atedible maturity: blossom end triangular circular cross section groundcolor of skin at market stage white (Bonneuil) green intensity of groundcolor of skin medium medium at edible maturity: skin thickness thin thinat edible maturity: skin ribs absent absent sutures absent (Corona,absent Hana) creasing absent (Jazzer) absent at edible maturity: skintoughness tender tender at edible maturity: skin luster dull dull atedible maturity: spine color white white at edible maturity: spinequality coarse coarse at edible maturity: spine density few few type ofvestiture hairs and prickles prickles only (De Bourbonne, De Massy)density of vestiture sparse sparse density of vestiture (only varietieslight brown (Akito) white with white ovary vestiture) warts present(Chinese present Slangen, Dumex, Regal) at edible maturity: tubercles(warts) few, prominent few, obscure (Salad) size of warts small (Jazzer)very small at edible maturity: flavor bitterfree bitterfree length ofstripes absent or very short short dots absent (Sensation) presentglaucosity strong (Dongi- absent or very weak chungjang) length ofpeduncle short (Admirable) medium ground color of skin at yellow greenphysiological ripeness 7. Fruit seed at harvest maturity measurementsfruit seed length 1 cm .85 cm measurements fruit seed diameter at .3 cm.3 cm medial color cream cream color RHS Color Chart value 158D 158Ccolor pattern not striped not striped surface smooth smooth nettingslight or none slight or none 8. Seeds number of seeds per fruit 50133.5 grams per 1,000 seeds 50 gm 26 gm *These are typical values.Values may vary due to environment. Other values that are substantiallyequivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

C. BREEDING CUCUMBER PLANTS

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 involving crossing cucumber lines ASL35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO. Alternatively, in other embodiments ofthe invention, hybrid PS 14784719, line ASL 35-1043 GY, or line ASLM3092031 MO may be crossed with itself or with any second plant. Suchmethods can be used for propagation of hybrid PS 14784719 and/or thecucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO, or can be used toproduce plants that are derived from hybrid PS 14784719 and/or thecucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO. Plants derived fromhybrid PS 14784719 and/or the cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASLM3092031 MO may be used, in certain embodiments, for the development ofnew cucumber varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid PS 14784719 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross with PS14784719 and/or cucumber lines ASL 35-1043 GY and ASL M3092031 MO forthe purpose of developing novel cucumber lines, it will typically bepreferred to choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one ormore selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desiredcharacteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirabletraits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seedgermination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance orresistance, and adaptability for soil and climate conditions.Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and tasteare other examples of traits that may be incorporated into new lines ofcucumber plants developed by this invention.

D. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS

As described above, hybrid PS 14784719 exhibits desirable agronomictraits. The performance characteristics of hybrid PS 14784719 were thesubject of an objective analysis of the performance traits relative toother varieties. The results of the analysis are presented below.

TABLE 3 Performance Data for Hybrid PS 14784719 and ComparativeVarieties Std Dev Mean(MKTYLD (MKTYLD Mean(YDC Std Dev VARIETY N RowsTOT) TOT) TOT) (YDC TOT) SPEEDWAY 24 57.8 54.8 12.0 8.3 CORTEZ 24 57.061.7 17.0 13.1 PS 14784719 24 59.2 54.2 11.4 6.8

E. FURTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those cucumber plants which are developed by aplant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all ofthe morphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentalcucumber plant which contributes the locus for the desiredcharacteristic is termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. Thisterminology refers to the fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used onetime in the backcross protocol and therefore does not recur. Theparental cucumber plant to which the locus or loci from the nonrecurrentparent are transferred is known as the recurrent parent as it is usedfor several rounds in the backcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a cucumber plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny cucumber plants of a backcross in which aplant described herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desiredtrait from the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of cucumber the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of cucumber plants for breeding is not necessarily dependenton the phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs(RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., 1998).

F. PLANTS DERIVED BY GENETIC ENGINEERING

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., 1985). Moreover, recent technological advances in vectorsfor Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer have improved the arrangementof genes and restriction sites in the vectors to facilitate theconstruction of vectors capable of expressing various polypeptide codinggenes. The vectors described have convenient multi-linker regionsflanked by a promoter and a polyadenylation site for direct expressionof inserted polypeptide coding genes. Additionally, Agrobacteriumcontaining both armed and disarmed Ti genes can be used fortransformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., 1985; Omirulleh et al., 1993; Fromm et al., 1986;Uchimiya et al., 1986; Marcotte et al., 1988). Transformation of plantsand expression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(1994), and Ellul et al. (2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., 1985), including in monocots(see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., 1990; Terada and Shimamoto, 1990); atandemly duplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35Spromoter (P-e35S); 1 the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., 1988);the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., 1989); and the figwortmosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter (P-eFMV) where the promotersequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem; the cauliflower mosaic virus19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform virus promoter; a commelina yellowmottle virus promoter; and other plant DNA virus promoters known toexpress in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., 1988), (2)light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter, Kuhlemeier et al., 1989; maize rbcSpromoter, Schaffner and Sheen, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-binding proteinpromoter, Simpson et al., 1985), (3) hormones, such as abscisic acid(Marcotte et al., 1989), (4) wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al.,1989); or (5) chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, orSafener. It may also be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters(e.g., Roshal et al., 1987; Schernthaner et al., 1988; Bustos et al.,1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a cucumber plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a cucumber plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., 1991). The RNA could also be a catalytic RNA molecule (i.e., aribozyme) engineered to cleave a desired endogenous mRNA product (seefor example, Gibson and Shillito, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces aprotein or mRNA which expresses a phenotype or morphology change ofinterest is useful for the practice of the present invention.

G. DEFINITIONS

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a cucumbervariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a cucumber plant by transformation.

H. DEPOSIT INFORMATION

A deposit of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 and inbred parent line ASLM3092031 MO, disclosed above and recited in the claims, has been madewith the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 UniversityBlvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The dates of deposit were Apr. 22,2011, and Apr. 13, 2011, respectively. The accession numbers for thosedeposited seeds of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 and inbred parent lineASL M3092031 MO are ATCC Accession Number PTA-11852, and ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-11819, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, allrestrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits areintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. Thedeposits will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years,or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of thepatent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary duringthat period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

REFERENCES

The following references, to the extent that they provide exemplaryprocedural or other details supplementary to those set forth herein, arespecifically incorporated herein by reference:

-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,175-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,365-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,435-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,275-   An et al., Plant Physiol., 88:547, 1988.-   Bird et al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991.-   Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989.-   Callis et al., Plant Physiol., 88:965, 1988.-   Choi et al., Plant Cell Rep., 13: 344-348, 1994.-   Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591, 1990.-   Ellul et al., Theor. Appl. Genet., 107:462-469, 2003.-   EP 534 858-   Fraley et al., Bio/Technology, 3:629-635, 1985.-   Fromm et al., Nature, 312:791-793, 1986.-   Fromm et al., Plant Cell, 1:977, 1989.-   Gibson and Shillito, Mol. Biotech., 7:125, 1997-   Klee et al., Bio-Technology, 3(7):637-642, 1985.-   Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989.-   Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988.-   Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989.-   Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985.-   Omirulleh et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993.-   Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985.-   Roshal et al., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987.-   Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991.-   Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988.-   Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989.-   Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985.-   Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990.-   Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986.-   Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998.-   Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990.-   WO 99/31248

1. A cucumber plant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomesof cucumber line ASL M3092031 MO, a sample of seed of said line havingbeen deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11819.
 2. A seed comprisingat least a first set of the chromosomes of cucumber line ASL M3092031MO, a sample of seed of said line having been deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-11819.
 3. The plant of claim 1, which is hybrid. 4.The plant of claim 3, wherein the hybrid plant is cucumber hybrid PS14784719, a sample of seed of said hybrid having been deposited underATCC Accession No. PTA-11852.
 5. A plant part of the plant of claim 1.6. The plant part of claim 5, further defined as a leaf, a ovule,pollen, a fruit, or a cell.
 7. The plant part of claim 6, furtherdefined as a fruit.
 8. A cucumber plant, or a part thereof, having allthe physiological and morphological characteristics of the cucumberplant of claim
 1. 9. A cucumber plant, or a part thereof, having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the cucumber plant ofclaim
 4. 10. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of the plant ofclaim
 1. 11. The tissue culture according to claim 10, comprising cellsor protoplasts from a plant part selected from the group consisting ofembryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, roottips, pistil, flower, seed and stalks.
 12. A cucumber plant regeneratedfrom the tissue culture of claim
 11. 13. A method of vegetativelypropagating the plant of claim 1 comprising the steps of: (a) obtainingtissue capable of being propagated from a plant according to claim 1;(b) cultivating said tissue to obtain proliferated shoots; and (c)rooting said proliferated shoots to obtain rooted plantlets.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising growing plants from said rootedplantlets.
 15. A method of introducing a desired trait into a cucumberline comprising: (a) crossing a plant of line ASL M3092031 MO, a sampleof seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No.PTA-11819, with a second cucumber plant that comprises a desired traitto produce F1 progeny; (b) selecting an F1 progeny that comprises thedesired trait; (c) crossing the selected F1 progeny with a plant of lineASL M3092031 MO to produce backcross progeny; and (d) repeating steps(b) and (c) three or more times to produce selected fourth or higherbackcross progeny that comprise the desired trait.
 16. A cucumber plantproduced by the method of claim
 15. 17. A method of producing a plantcomprising a transgene, the method comprising introducing a transgeneinto a plant of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 or cucumber line ASLM3092031 MO, a sample of seed of said hybrid and line having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11852 and ATCC Accession No.PTA-11819, respectively.
 18. A plant produced by the method of claim 17.19. A plant of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 or cucumber line ASL M3092031MO further comprising a transgene, a sample of seed of said hybrid andline having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11852 and ATCCAccession No. PTA-11819, respectively.
 20. A seed that produces theplant of claim
 19. 21. A plant of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719 orcucumber line ASL M3092031 MO comprising a single locus conversion, asample of seed of said hybrid and line having been deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-11852 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-11819, respectively.22. A seed that produced the plant of claim
 21. 23. A method forproducing a seed of a plant derived from hybrid PS 14784719 or line ASLM3092031 MO comprising the steps of: (a) crossing a cucumber plant ofhybrid PS 14784719 or line ASL M3092031 MO with a second cucumber plant;a sample of seed of said hybrid and line having been deposited underATCC Accession No. PTA-11852 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-11819,respectively; and (b) allowing seed of a hybrid PS 14784719 or line ASLM3092031 MO-derived cucumber plant to form.
 24. The method of claim 23,further comprising the steps of: (c) crossing a plant grown from saidhybrid PS 14784719 or ASL M3092031 MO-derived cucumber seed with itselfor a second cucumber plant to yield additional hybrid PS 14784719 or ASLM3092031 MO-derived cucumber seed; (d) growing said additional hybrid PS14784719 or ASL M3092031 MO-derived cucumber seed of step (c) to yieldadditional hybrid PS 14784719 or ASL M3092031 MO-derived cucumberplants; and (e) repeating the crossing and growing steps of (c) and (d)to generate at least a first further hybrid PS 14784719 or ASL M3092031MO-derived cucumber plant.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein thesecond cucumber plant is of an inbred cucumber line.
 26. The method ofclaim 24, further comprising: (f) crossing the further hybrid PS14784719 or ASL M3092031 MO-derived cucumber plant with a secondcucumber plant to produce seed of a hybrid progeny plant.
 27. A methodof producing a cucumber comprising: (a) obtaining a plant according toclaim 1, wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity; and (b)collecting a cucumber from the plant.
 28. The method of claim 27,wherein the plant is a plant of cucumber hybrid PS 14784719, a sample ofseed of said hybrid PS 14784719 having been deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-11852.
 29. A method of producing seed comprisingcrossing the plant of claim 1 with itself or a second plant.